Soccer: Scorpions, World Cup and morehttp://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions
News and commentary covering local, national and international soccer.Tue, 15 Jul 2014 17:43:41 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1Four DVRs, No Waiting update: Andre Ware re-ups with ESPN, Chronicle’s Brian T. Smith adds duties for 790 AMhttp://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/07/four-dvrs-no-waiting-update-andre-ware-re-ups-with-espn-chronicles-brian-t-smith-adds-duties-for-790-am/
Tue, 15 Jul 2014 17:43:41 +0000http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/?p=41488In the gone but not forgotten vein of the longtime Four DVRs, No Waiting news updates, here’s a few items of local interest on the sports media front.

— Andre Ware has signed a new four-year deal with ESPN that will include SEC Network game duties with Dave Neal, his partner for the last five years on the 11 a.m. SEC syndicated games that now move to the new ESPN cable channel.

“When you have chemistry that you’ve built with someone over the last five years and get to continue that, it’s a thrill for both sides,” Ware said. “And I’m excited to stay with ESPN another four years.”

Ware earlier renewed and expanded his agreement with the Texans to do radio play-by-play and weekly studio updates. He said he and Neal may move around on the SEC Network broadcast schedule, but he said game assignments for ESPN will be made “with my schedule in mind.”

— Chronicle reporter Brian T. Smith has signed on for weekly appearances on KBME (790 AM), reporting on the Texans and the NFL. He will appear weekly on the Lance Zierlein-Adam Clanton and Matt Thomas shows and will do postgame reports from the stadium on game days.

I have yet to develop a nickname for Brian to rival that of the General, John McClain. Maybe we should call him the Initial, since he uses his middle initial in his byline.

Speaking of the General, he was the featured speaker a few weeks ago at our annual Waco Tribune-Herald alumni gathering in Waco. He told a story about trying to meet up with a girlfriend in Waco when he was a kid and cutting through somebody’s backyard when he was bitten by a dog. He had to have rabies shots, and his oldest friends in Waco know him by the moniker John “Mad Dog” McClain.

I wish I had known that earlier. “Mad Dog” McClain has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

— Turning to the media spin cycle, you may have seen a report from Richard Deitsch at Sports Illustrated that Pam Oliver is being replaced by Erin Andrews as the field reporter for Fox Sports’ Joe Buck/Troy Aikman broadcast team. Oliver will work one more season with the team of Kevin Burkhardt and John Lynch, but that’s it for sideline game duties.

Oliver, who was born in Dallas and spent some time at KHOU (Channel 11) before going to ESPN and then to Fox, said she has run the gamut of emotions over the assignment change. “My role has changed. Sideline reporting is being phased out and I’m fortunate enough to get this year,” she told SI.com. “I am lucky. I do know that.”

Clearly this is a situation that calls for spin, and Fox is more than up to the challenge. Arriving yesterday from the company was a release headlined “Pam Oliver Elevated to Senior Correspondent.” The release notes her new assignment with Burkhardt and Lynch and extols her new role as “expand(ing) her influence beyond the NFL to include the wide breadth of sports and events covered by Fox Sports year-round.”

Granted there will be opportunities in Oliver’s new role, but seriously, “Elevated?” In terms of corporate spin, the only thing lacking from the Fox release was an icon of Dilbert’s pointy-headed boss ducking and weaving his way through the flowery rhetoric required of such announcements.

— One last World Cup ratings update. Sunday’s Germany-Argentina final recorded a 9.5 Nielsen rating in KTRK (Channel 13) and an 8.6 rating on KXLN (Channel 45) for an 18.1 total. That’s about 414,000 households in Houston on average, and it approximates what Texans games were doing locally before their two-year playoff run.

Combo ratings in some other strong Univision markets included 11.5 on ABC and 16.8 on Univision in Miami for a 28.3 combo, 13.0/12.9 in Los Angeles for a 25.9 total and 12.5/6.7 in New York for a 19.2 combo rating.

For all 64 World Cup matches, ESPN’s Texas market ratings were 3.3 in Austin (tied for 17th among the 56 major markets), 2.6 in Houston (tied for 30th) and 2.1 in Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio (tied for 43rd).

Channel 45 averaged a 3.5 rating for all 64 games, so that’s a combined World Cup rating in Houston of 6.1. That’s better than a lot of prime time entertainment shows get these days, and it beats everything in the sports realm during the regular season save the NFL. And now the inevitable question: Will World Cup fever transfer to MLS and the Dynamo and to the buildup toward the 2018 World Cup, which moves to Fox and Telemundo?

]]>Good World Cup semifinal ratings for ESPN, Univisionhttp://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/07/good-world-cup-semifinal-ratings-for-espn-univision/
Thu, 10 Jul 2014 23:47:03 +0000http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/?p=41404ESPN’s and Univision’s World Cup ratings continue to surpass those of four years ago even after the departure of the U.S. team.

The scoreless Netherlands-Argentina game that Argentina won on penalty kicks Wednesday recorded a 4.3 Nielsen rating and 6.8 million viewers, the best ever for a World Cup semifinal on ESPN. The previous best was a 4.2 rating with 6.6 million viewers for the Brazil-Germany game Tuesday.

Univision says it averaged 5.8 million viewers for Brazil-Germany and 5.4 million for Netherlands-Argentina, putting the two-network totals at 12.4 million for Brazil-Germany and 12.2 million for Netherlands-Argentina.

In Houston, Brazil-Germany rated 2.9 on ESPN and 6.5 on Univision for a 9.4 total, which would equal an average audience of 215,000 households. Netherlands-Argentina rated 2.9 on ESPN and 5.6 on Univision for an 8.5 total (194,596 households).

For comparison purposes, the combo ratings for Brazil-Germany were 13.2 in New York, 18.5 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale, 14.4 in Los Angeles, 5.9 in Dallas-Fort Worth and 8.3 in San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose. Combo ratings for Netherlands-Argentina included 11.5 in New York, 16.6 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale and 6.6 in Dallas-Fort Worth.

The host country remains alive in the 2014 World Cup tournament. (Natacha Pisarenko/AP)

World Cup ratings continue to be strong despite the departure of the United States team. Here are the ratings for the four quarterfinals last week in Houston. Each Nielsen ratings point represents about 22,000 households in Houston.

Teams ABC/ESPN Univision Total

Germany-France *1.9 3.7 5.6

Brazil-Colombia 3.4 5.4 7.8

Belgium-Argentina +3.3 4.2 7.5

Costa Rica-Netherlands 2.8 4.9 7.7

+=Game aired on ABC. *=Game aired on ESPN2.

ESPN says it averaged 5.79 million viewers for Netherlands-Costa Rica, 6.34 million for Brazil-Colombia, 5.1 million for Argentina-Belgium and 4.88 million for France-Germany. The Colombia-Brazil and Netherlands-Costa Rica are the most-watched quarterfinals on the Disney networks, topping 5.7 million for Argentina-Germany four years ago on ESPN.

Through 60 matches, the Disney networks are averaging 4.19 million viewers per game based on a 2.6 Nielsen household rating, up from 2.94 million and a 1.9 rating four years ago.

Univision’s quarterfinal numbers were 5.49 million for Brazil-Colombia, 5.13 million for Netherlands-Costa Rica, 4.71 million for Germany-France and 3.63 million for Argentina-Belgium.

That gives us 11.84 million for Brazil-Colombia, 10.92 million for Costa Rica-Netherlands, 9.6 million for Germany-France and 8.81 million for Argentina-Belgium for a four-game average of 10.29 million.

Houston is tied for 27th for games on the Disney networks with a 2.5 Nielsen household rating. Washington, D.C., is tops at 4.6, followed by New York at 4.3.

]]>Belgium tops U.S. 2-1 in knockout round of World Cuphttp://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/07/belgium-tops-u-s-2-1-in-knockout-round-of-world-cup/
Tue, 01 Jul 2014 19:33:12 +0000http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/?p=41229SALVADOR, Brazil (AP) — They captured the eyes and hearts of a suddenly awakened soccer nation, who gathered in unprecedented numbers to watch the world’s game.

But the end of the ride came at the exact same point as four years ago: with an overtime loss in the World Cup’s round of 16.

Kevin De Bruyne finally beat goalkeeper Tim Howard in the third minute of extra time, Romelu Lukaku scored 12 minutes later to give Belgium a two-goal lead, and the Red Devils hung on for a 2-1 victory Tuesday.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Howard said. “I don’t think we could have given it more.”

Before exiting, the U.S. showed the spunk that captured America’s attention. Julian Green, at 19 the youngest player on the U.S. roster, stuck out his right foot to volley in Michael Bradley’s pass over the defense in the 107th minute, two minutes after entering the game.

They nearly tied it up in the 114th, when Clint Dempsey peeled off the ball and was stopped point-blank by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois after being fed by Bradley on a free kick.

But it wasn’t enough, and U.S. players fell to the field at the final whistle in their all-white uniforms like so many crumpled tissues.

“You get to this point and these games are always about a play here and play there,” Bradley said.

The Americans advanced from a difficult first-round group that included Germany, Portugal and Ghana to reach the knockout rounds of consecutive World Cups for the first time. Four years ago, they were eliminated in South Africa by Ghana 1-0 on a goal in the third minute of overtime.

Fans who had made the trek south of the equator chanting “I believe that we will win!” could hardly believe they lost, extending a World Cup winless streak against European nations to nine games over 12 years.

The crowd of 51,227 at Arena Fonte Nova appeared to be about one third pro-U.S., with 10 percent backing the Belgians and the rest neutral. Back home, millions watched across the United States in offices, homes and public gatherings that includes a huge crowd in Chicago’s Soldier Field.

At some large financial firms in Manhattan, 70-inch screens were brought in for employees to watch. President Barack Obama joined about 200 staffers in an Executive Office Building auditorium to watch the second half.

“I believe!” he exclaimed as he walked in at the front of the hall. “I believe!”

That sparked a chorus of the chant, and as Obama took a front-row seat, he said sheepishly: “I was worried that if I walked in and Belgium scored, I’d get in trouble.”

Howard, playing the finest game of his career, stopped a dozen shots with his legs and arms to keep the Americans even through regulation and force an additional 30 minutes. He wound up with 16 saves.

In its first World Cup under Jurgen Klinsmann, the U.S. had promised to play attacking soccer. But once again the Americans had trouble maintaining possession and for much of the night it seemed as if the field were tilted.

Howard, at 35 one of the American veterans, kept saving his team.

But when Matt Besler lost his balance on an attack down the right, Lukaku sped in alone and crossed in front of the goal. The ball rebounded off a defender, and De Bruyne controlled it, spun and beat Howard just over his right foot.

Then with the U.S. pushing for an equalizer, De Bruyne burst ahead and fed Lukaku. He slotted the ball past Howard, his Everton teammate, seeming to put the Red Devils out of reach.

But Green, among five German-Americans on the U.S. roster and a surprise pick, woke up the team and its fans with his first touch of the game, setting off raucous chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” But there would be no final comeback this time.

Chris Wondolowski had a chance to win it in stoppage time when Jermaine Jones flicked the ball to him at the top of the 6-yard box, but with Courtois coming out Wondolowski put the ball over the crossbar.

“The dream falls short, but this is an incredible group,” Howard said, “and we’ll never forget this night.”

]]>http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/07/live-follow-the-us-vs-belgium-world-cup-game/feed/0Fans tune in for USA World Cup matches on TVhttp://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/06/fans-tune-in-for-usa-world-cup-matches-on-tv/
Fri, 27 Jun 2014 20:39:01 +0000http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/?p=41206With the group stage of World Cup matches completed, here’s a game-by-game look at Nielsen ratings in Houston the Disney and Univision networks.

Each ratings point equals about 22,000 households. I apologize for the uneven columns.

RECIFE, Brazil — Thomas Mueller scored his fourth goal of the World Cup on Friday as Germany defeated the United States 1-0 to win Group G ahead of the Americans, who also advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup despite losing.

With two wins and a draw, Germany topped the group with seven points, while the U.S. progressed with four. Portugal beat Ghana 2-1 but both were eliminated. Portugal also finished with four points but the U.S. had a better goal difference.

Mueller scored in the 55th minute with a side-footed shot from the edge of the area as tropical downpours drenched the Arena Pernambuco.

Both teams knew before kickoff that a draw would see them through, but neither held back. The game pitted Germany coach Joachim Loew against his good friend and predecessor Juergen Klinsmann, now in charge of the U.S. team.

The two coaches smiled as they shook hands and patted each other on the shoulder after the match.

Germany’s goal came after a corner by Mesut Ozil. U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard did well to punch out a header by Per Mertesacker but the ball fell kindly to Mueller, who pounced on the rebound and rifled a shot inside the far post from the edge of the penalty area.

Mueller played despite needing five stiches to close a cut above his right eye sustained in the 2-2 draw with Ghana on Saturday and still visible five days later.

The United States had a chance to level the match in stoppage time, but Alejandro Bedoya’s low shot inside the box was swept away by the sliding Mario Goetze, a late substitute. The Americans got a corner but Clint Dempsey’s header at the far post went high.

Loew reshuffled his lineup by bringing in forward Lukas Podolski for Goetze and midfielder Sebastian Schweinsteiger for Sami Khedira. Center back Geoff Cameron was replaced in the U.S. lineup by Omar Gonzalez.

There were many empty seats in the Arena Pernambuco when the match kicked off but fans streamed in during the first half, apparently delayed by traffic jams as torrential rain flooded parts of this northeastern Brazilian city.

Germany was quicker off the mark and Howard intercepted a low cross from Podolski before Michael Bradley made a good clearance and Gonzalez defended well to deny Mueller a shot from close range. Howard’s 103th cap was a record for a U.S. goalkeeper and he did well to stop Ozil’s shot in the 35th minute.

Graham Zusi had the first good shot for the U.S. but his effort in the 22nd went high.

Referee Ravshan Irmatov of Uzbekistan collided accidentally with Jermaine Jones in the 28th and the American midfielder went down hard but got up. The referee shrugged off the challenge.

Miroslav Klose came on for Podolski at the start of the second half but failed to score and grab sole possession of the World Cup scoring record that he now shares with Brazil’s Ronaldo at 15.

Ozil beat Gonzalez to a cross at the start of the second half but sent his header high, while Klose connected with a cross from Schweinsteiger but was off balance and did not get off a clean header.

]]>http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/06/follow-the-u-s-germany-match-live-on-social-media/feed/0ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman compares Brazil’s World Cup weather to playing in Houstonhttp://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/06/espn-analyst-taylor-twellman-compares-brazils-world-cup-weather-to-playing-in-houston/
Thu, 19 Jun 2014 15:43:28 +0000http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/?p=41094If anyone reading this in Houston wants a taste of what it’s like to play in Brazil during the World Cup, ESPN analyst and former U.S. national team Taylor Twellman suggests you walk outside anywhere from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and run around for 90 minutes.

Twellman, who is calling the U.S. games for the Disney networks, said during a Wednesday conference call that conditions in Manaus, where the United States will play Portugal on Sunday, remind him of his days playing for the New England Revolution against the Dynamo.

“The game is in Manaus,” he said. “We are going to see a game in a little bit here, Cameroon – Croatia (won 4-0 by Croatia). Manaus is very humid – very much like playing in July and August in Houston – and I think it’s going to be very interesting to see what kind of pace, what kind of tempo this game is played at.”

Twellman said the humidity in Brazil clearly is taking its toll on players from all countries.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen in the first round of games, this amount of cramping, this amount of injuries, this amount of fatigue,” he said. “And some of the analysts here disagree with me but I think the humidity is playing a huge factor in this.

“I’ve been at two of the stadiums. It’s humid. We’ve seen comebacks. We’ve already seen six comebacks in games already, where in 2010 we only saw three, and we are only through the first round of games. So weather is playing a factor in this.”

The fact that Clint Dempsey, the U.S. player from Nacogdoches, has a broken nose suffered in the opener against Ghana will make things doubly difficult for him, Twellman said.

“I think (U.S. manager) Jürgen Klinsmann will have to address: One, what’s the state of Clint Dempsey – will he wear a mask, won’t he?” Twellman said. “What do you get from Aron Jóhannsson, what do you get from Chris Wondolowski? Do you just play one up front and allow Michael Bradley free reign, so you clog up the midfield which makes life difficult for a Ronaldo in transition?

“I’m not sure what Jürgen does … but I think first and foremost he has to find out what he gets from Clint Dempsey. … Clint Dempsey has a broken nose. I’ve played with those. It’s a difficult situation. So Clint and Jürgen need to figure out how much he can give, and in what spot does he need help up front.”

A few more comments from Twellman during a Wednesday conference call:

– On the U.S.-Portugal game: “The No. 1 thing you cannot do against Portugal is when you lose possession is leave Cristiano Ronaldo open. We saw in the UEFA playoff qualifier against Sweden, tactically they were very naïve, almost to a point where they looked like they didn’t even prepare. The three in the middle for Portugal, Moutinho, Veloso, Carvalho, Varela, William – it depends on who it is – but particularly Moutinho, will cause problems. Because immediately when that ball turns over, almost to a fault, they are looking for Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Now, the question is: How fit is Ronaldo? Obviously he’s dealing with knee issues, leaving training almost consistently with an ice pack on his knee. But if you control the counterattack immediately when that ball turns over, the United States will have a very good opportunity of getting a result.”

– On the early elimination of defending champion Spain: “I think there’s no doubt that the Champions League wore out some big players, whether from Atlético Madrid or Real Madrid. … They have won three major tournaments in a row. If they were going to make a run at this, you’re still in the conversation of arguably the best generation to ever have played a national team. It’s just one of those things that it’s happened too soon.”

– On MLS players at the World Cup: “Tim Cahill (the Australian who plays for the Red Bulls), for me, so far, goal of the tournament. To hit a ball that’s over your shoulder that way with that technique, great finish. Obviously that’s a feather in the cap of Major League Soccer. It’s part of the sport growing.

“You know, I think, at times we want the sport to grow so quickly here in the country. Yet, what are we, 19, 20 years in Major League Soccer? There has to be a little patience. There has to be some evolution. You know, 2002, we had two teams fold and now we are growing with soccer stadiums and all that. There has to be a little patience.

“I think you’re starting to see some of that growth in the World Cup when you have a player like Tim Cahill, who everybody thought was done when he went to the Red Bulls. What has he done? He’s come in and scored two good goals in the World Cup. It’s all part of the process.

“Three points against Ghana (for the U.S. win) is great. Getting out of the group with a huge contingent of your roster being from Major League Soccer is more important.”

– On the U.S. win over Ghana: “The United States beat Ghana the old fashioned way. There was nothing new about how they won. They scored an early goal, defended like crazy and then won the game on a set piece. So there’s nothing new about what the United States under Klinsmann did against Ghana.”

– On Portugal: “They are not nervous. They are a wounded animal with arguably the greatest player in the world, 1A, 1B – however you want to look at it if you’re a (Lionel) Messi guy or a Ronaldo guy. Very dangerous if you’re the United States against Portugal in the first 25 to 30 minutes, because they are wounded, and they have Cristiano Ronaldo.

“In saying all of that, you can get inside of a player’s head and you can make life very difficult. What I saw in World Cup qualifying from Portugal is simply this – Israel, Northern Ireland got results against them … making life very difficult to get Ronaldo on the break. When Ronaldo gets on the break, then you have any of the players running off of him, they are dangerous and they can kill you. When they have to try to break you down, and it’s very congested in the midfield and very crowded, they struggle.

“Again, Israel, Northern Ireland got results against Portugal. To say the United States can’t would be extremely stupid. They can get a result, but you have to be careful. You want to be very careful of a wounded animal with a player like Ronaldo, which is why I think 25, 30 minutes, they have to be the United States has to be just smart, be very smart defensively, don’t sit in deep.

– On the absence of Portuguese players Pepe (suspension) and Fabio Coentrão (injuries): “ Obviously it’s a huge impact. Now in saying that, they have quality players to fill in behind. Pepe, to me, it’s so out of character for him to headbutt a player when the ball is away, right? It’s kind of comical to me. But I don’t know, I mean, I think it will be very interesting to see. (Injured U.S. player) Jozy Altidore being out is much bigger than Pepe or Coentrão for Portugal, if you ask me.”

John Brooks’ header goal against Ghana helped the U.S. to 2-1 win on Monday. (Ricardo Mazalan/Associated Press)

Through Monday’s games, World Cup action on ESPN/ESPN2/ABC and on Univision’s KXLN (Channel 45) are averaging a 6.0 Nielsen rating in Houston – 3.4 on Channel 45, 2.6 on the Disney networks.

Here’s a game-by-game look at the Houston numbers. Each ratings point equals about 22,000 households.

Game ESPN/ABC Univision Total

Brazil-Croatia 3.3 5.5 8.8

Mexico-Cameroon 2.3 5.4 7.7

Spain-Netherlands 1.9 3.2 5.1

Chile-Australia 1.3 2.9 4.2

Colombia-Greece 2.5 2.7 5.2

Uruguay-Costa Rica 2.6 2.9 5.5

England-Italy 2.2 3.5 5.7

Ivory Coast-Japan 2.4 3.3 5.7

Switzerland-Ecuador 3.2 2.8 6.0

France Honduras 3.6 3.7 7.3

Argentina-Bosnia-Herzegovina 2.6 4.2 6.8

Germany-Portugal 1.5 2.2 3.7

Iran-Nigeria 1.6 1.4 3.0

Ghana-United States 5.9 3.3 9.2

Univision generally doesn’t hand out national Nielsen numbers in its press releases, opting instead for total viewers. It says its tournament audience to date is up 48 percent from four years ago.

Univision says it had ratings of 6.6 in Miami, 4.3 in Los Angeles and 3.3 in Dallas-Fort Worth for Ghana-United States.

ESPN, meanwhile, says it is averaging a 2.5 rating and 4.1 million viewers through its first 14 matches, up from 2.1 and 3.34 million four years ago. It is averaging 257,000 viewers per minute and 736,000 viewers per match on its WatchESPN platform.

Washington, D.C., is the top market through 14 matches for ESPN with a 5.0 rating, followed by San Francisco at 4.4, New York at 4.1, Boston at 3.8 and Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami and Hartford at 3.7. Texas markets are Austin at 3.2 (tied 13th of 56), Houston at 2.6 (tied 23rd), DFW at 2.0 (tied 40th) and San Antonio at 1.9 (tied 47th).

ESPN recorded a 6.3 Nielsen rating and 11.09 million viewers for the U.S. win over Ghana, its largest audience ever for a World Cup game. WatchESPN viewership totaled 1.4 million with 469,000 per minute. Washington was the top market at 11.8, followed by New York (10.2), Hartford-New Haven (10.1) and Boston (10.0).

I don’t have markets to date yet for Univision. Also, Univision for some reason only provides numbers for its owned-and-operated stations such as Channel 45, so it may be a chore to get a more complete view of combination viewing in English and Spanish.

Team USA in the World Cup

NATAL, Brazil (AP) — Clint Dempsey scored in the first minute and rookie substitute John Brooks scored a late game winner as the U.S. defeated Ghana 2-1 Monday in the World Cup opener for both.

The victory gave the Americans a measure of revenge against the tiny West African county that knocked them out of the previous two World Cups and put the U.S. and Germany on top of the Group G, with Ghana and Portugal at the bottom.

Dempsey’s goal came on a low shot just 32 seconds into the match. Ghana dominated much the rest of the game, and Andre Ayew leveled in the 82nd minute.

Just four minutes later, Brooks — a 21-year-old who came on at halftime because Matt Besler was injured — scored off a corner from Graham Zusi. It was the first time an American sub had ever scored in the World Cup.

Dempsey’s goal made him the first U.S. player to score in three different World Cups and was the fastest ever scored by an American in the tournament.

Dempsey’s goal showed the kind of technical flair seldom seen from a squad that typically scores through set pieces. Brooks’ game winner came in the waning minutes as the Americans were desperately trying to survive waves of attacks from Ghana.

DaMarcus Beasley, who became the first American to play in four World Cups, started the buildup to Dempsey’s goal with a pass to Jermaine Jones, who fed it to Dempsey inside the penalty area.

With a nifty move to split defenders John Boye and Sulley Muntari, Dempsey sent the left-footed shot past goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey, where the ball bounced off the post and in.

Already ahead after the game had barely started, the Americans looked well on their way to erasing eight years of frustration caused by Ghana.

Ghana regrouped at halftime and the U.S. looked punchless on the attack after losing striker Jozy Altidore to an apparent hamstring injury in the 21st minute. Ghana applied relentless pressure on U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard and finally drew even when captain Asamoah Gyan flicked a backheel pass to Ayew, who used the outside of his left foot for a powerful shot.

Ghana was still pressing for a winner Brooks delivered the header. He appeared shocked to have scored, raising his hands to his head before falling to the ground to be mobbed by his teammates.

]]>Texas city to rival San Antonio in pursuit for MLS franchisehttp://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/06/texas-city-to-rival-san-antonio-in-pursuit-for-mls-franchise/
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/06/texas-city-to-rival-san-antonio-in-pursuit-for-mls-franchise/#respondMon, 16 Jun 2014 20:29:40 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/?p=336Click to view slideshow.
Today, MountainStar Sports Group announced that it intends to take an MLS franchise to El Paso. MountainStar Sports Group took a Triple-A baseball team to El Paso this year, the El Paso Chihuahuas.

According to MountainStar President Alan Ledford, MLS officials were at the opening of Southwest University Park and were impressed with the community support and will be in El Paso again on July 6 when popular Mexican club CD Guadalajara plays Brazilian club Cruzeiro at the Sun Bowl. The Scorpions will face Mexican Clubs Tigres UANL (June 21), Monterrey (July 6) and the Mexican under-21 national team (June 28).

“The ownership group has had several very good meetings with MLS, including meeting on two occasions with Don Garber, the League’s commissioner,” Ledford said in a press release. “This is the first step in a very long process, and we will continue to pursue all avenues available to urge MLS to consider the El Paso region as a viable expansion market.”

Apart from the two Texas cities San Antonio and El Paso, Sacramento, Minneapolis and Las Vegas have also expressed their interest in an MLS team.

Currently, MLS has 19 teams. New York City FC and Orlando City will join the league in 2015, Atlanta landed the 22nd franchise and is set to begin in 2016, while former LA Galaxy star David Beckham and his ownership group will likely secure the 23rd team in Miami, leaving the last franchise up for grabs.

The Scorpions play at Toyota Field, which holds 8,000 but is expandable to 18,500. Minneapolis is the only other city that already has a team in the NASL (North American Soccer League).

MLS has expressed in recent months that they would like to add cities with a stadium in the downtown area, which could be a problem for all of the cities. However, El Paso demolished its City Hall in 2013 to make way for the new ballpark which now is the home of their triple A baseball team in the heart of downtown.

]]>http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/06/live-updates-u-s-vs-ghana/feed/0World Cup opener averages 200,000-plus households in Houstonhttp://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/06/world-cup-opener-averages-200000-plus-households-in-houston/
Fri, 13 Jun 2014 21:52:39 +0000http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/?p=40988If Thursday is any indication, productivity in local offices will be taking a dive over the next few weeks as the World Cup unfolds in Brazil.

Houston had the third-largest combined audience for ESPN’s English-language broadcast and Univision’s Spanish-language broadcast in the 12 markets where Univision owns stations, for the World Cup opener Thursday between Brazil and Croatia.

Univision numbers were not available for Washington, D.C., and Boston, which had the highest ratings for ESPN at 5.1 and 5.0, respectively.

The combined 8.8 rating in Houston represents an average audience of 201,463 of the 20-county area’s 2.2 million TV households.

Those numbers should increase considerably for the Mexico-Cameroon match Friday afternoon. Those numbers will be available Saturday.

Here are the Brazil-Croatia numbers:

ESPN Univision Total

Miami 4.7 8.6 13.3

Los Angeles 4.6 7.6 12.2

Houston 3.3 5.5 8.8

New York 4.5 3.0 7.5

Dallas-Fort Worth 2.6 4.7 7.3

San Francisco 4.5 2.2 6.7

Phoenix 2.6 3.2 5.8

Austin 3.9 1.7 5.6

Chicago 2.0 2.7 4.7

Sacramento 2.7 1.1 3.8

Philadelphia 2.6 0.4 3.0

San Antonio 1.1 1.1 2.2

Nielsen national numbers were a 2.8 rating and 4.435 million viewers on ESPN and 5.1 million total viewers on Univision.

]]>Scorpion Richard Menjivar to play against two World Cup teamshttp://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/06/scorpion-richard-menjivar-to-play-in-2-world-cup-games/
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/06/scorpion-richard-menjivar-to-play-in-2-world-cup-games/#respondWed, 04 Jun 2014 20:53:14 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/?p=325

San Antonio Scorpions player and Salvadorian national, Richard Menjivar, has been included as part of a 20-man roster for El Salvador for two friendly games.

The 23-year old midfielder and its team will square off against World Cup-bound teams Ivory Coast and Spain.

El Salvador will take on former Chelsea forward Didier Drogba and Ivory Coast tonight at 8 p.m. at the Toyota Stadium in Frisco, followed by a match-up against current world and two-time defending European champions Spain on Saturday at the FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, as both teams will wrap up their preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Menjivar, who already has 10 appearances for his national team, is one of three U.S. based players in the squad.

“Playing for your country is one of the highest honors you can achieve as a player,” said Head Coach Alen Marcina. “We’re incredibly pleased for Richie to participate in two very high profile games against teams that will be playing in the World Cup in Brazil. We’re also very proud to have him represent the Scorpions.”

Menjivar has played in seven games for the Scorpions in the current season, after playing for the Atlanta Silverbacks in 2013.

]]>http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/06/scorpion-richard-menjivar-to-play-in-2-world-cup-games/feed/0Scorpions 0, Edmonton 0 (Final)http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/05/live-updates-edmonton-at-scorpions/
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/05/live-updates-edmonton-at-scorpions/#respondSun, 18 May 2014 00:26:23 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/?p=295The Scorpions had a man advantage for more than an hour but, despite pounding FC Edmonton with chance after chance in the second half, was forced to settle for a frustrating 0-0 draw Saturday at Toyota Field. So it looks as if last week’s 3-0 victory over Carolina might have been a mirage as the Scorpions revert back to their offensively-challenged ways, dominating possession yet failing to find the net. They now have just six goals in six matches, with half of those coming last week.

Second half

INJ: Right at the keeper.

INJ: Last-gasp corner here…

INJ: YELLOW, Jones. And it wouldn’t be an NASL match without a borderline fight. Jones clatters DeRoux, but gets up and shoves him. And now we’ve got another little fracas at the other end of the pitch. YELLOW, Restrepo. Bedlam, I tell you. Bedlam.

INJ: Wow. Loose ball bounces back to Restrepo, who sends a wicked low cross into the box. Zahorski is streaking in, but can’t get a foot on the ball. Couldn’t tell if he was there and just misjudged it, or a step slow. But either way, same result — it didn’t go in, and the Scorpions remain scoreless.

Winding down to the 88th minute…

Scorpions just pouring on the pressure now. Dominating possessions 65/35, with 15-2 advantage in shots, but can’t get the one that counts.

77th: Barrera again. Slicing atop the box, rips a shot at the near post that the keeper bungles out of bounds.

76th: Maybe the best chance of the night as Barrera sends in a low, bending cross right at Zahorski, whose header from about 15 yards out is right at the keeper. 2H

72nd: Restrepo goes solo again, squeezing off a weak shot straight at the keeper as Barrera, positioned at the top of the box, turns toward the bench and holds his arms up in disgust.

68th: Scorpions blow a potential 2 v 1 as Hassli’s pass to Touray is a poor one, which Touray compounds with a poor first touch off his chest.

63rd: DeRoux with a great move to beat two defenders on the left side, but nobody could latch onto his square pass into the box before it was cleared.

Still plenty of time, and the Scorpions are starting to generate some good opportunities. But time is of the essence now with only a half hour left.

59th: A flurry of chances for the Scorpions as Touray is dispossessed in the box, while Hassli’s shot on the ensuing loose ball is blocked. Restrepo then found Zahorski, but he couldn’t get much juice on his shot straight at the keeper.

56th: Sainey Touray on for Soto at left midfield. Very bland performance from Soto. Scorpions manager Alan Marcina looking to inject a little athleticism into the match. Rookie Billy Forbes probably would have been the choice after his breakout performance last week, but he is unavailable with an undisclosed illness.

53rd: Another strong chance for the Scorpions. Zahorski with the ball, posting up a defender at the penalty spot, wheels and hits a blind shot at the keeper, who clatters the ball down and pounces on the rebound.

52th: Restrepo with a great surging run down the right flank after nice touch to get himself loose, but really should have laid it off for somebody else after dribbling into the teeth of the defense looking for a shot. Barrera was at the top of the box absolutely screaming for it, but Restrepo had tunnel vision.

50th: So close. Ball lays down for Restrepo inside the box, blasts his shot over the bar.

We’re scoreless at Toyota Field after a lackluster half featuring little action at either goalmouth. The Scorpions still have a big advantage after Edmonton defender Mallan Roberts was sent off with a straight red for dangerous play near the half-hour mark. The Scorpions were unable to take immediate advantage, but they’ll have a full half to negotiate an Edmonton defense that has, so far, been rock solid.

First half

INJ: YELLOW, Borrajo. Chippy tackle near midfield.

39th: Good, clean tackle by Edmonton skipper Watson to wipe out Restrepo near the end line. Ensuing corner is easily cleared.

27th: RED, Edmonton’s Roberts. Straight red for the Edmonton defender after he kicked DeRoux in the face trying to get a touch on the ball. Not malicious, but really, really careless. Play was out near midfield, really nothing to be gained there by winning the ball. So, the Scorpions have nearly a full hour to play with a man advantage.

27th: Borrajo having a really nice game at right back, shut down Boakai on a 1 v 1 in the box.

]]>http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/05/live-updates-edmonton-at-scorpions/feed/0Rookie with ‘Caribbean swag’ stars in Scorpions debuthttp://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/05/rookie-with-caribbean-swag-stars-in-scorpions-debut/
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/05/rookie-with-caribbean-swag-stars-in-scorpions-debut/#respondSat, 17 May 2014 00:54:25 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/?p=293It doesn’t take much to make Scorpions defender Julius James smile. When the subject is adopted little brother/teammate Billy Forbes, James lights up like a halogen lamp, thrilled at the rookie winger’s exploits last week against Carolina.

Coming on at halftime to exploit the Railhawks’ lack of speed, Forbes made an impact just eight minutes into his professional debut by feeding Eric Hassli for the opening goal. He did it again just six minutes later, setting up Danny Barrera’s header with a feathery cross.

Fourteen minutes, two assists, and the Scorpions were on their way to a 3-0 conquest after producing just three goals in their previous four matches.

“He wasn’t sure he was even going to play that day because it takes time for the paper work to clear,” James said. “It’s a good thing he did. I was really excited for him. He just came on and did work.”

Forbes, 22, hails from Miami by way of Turks and Caicos, a tiny Caribbean island of about 33,000 located north of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The 5-9 attacker was an NAIA All-American at Lubbock Christian before participating in training camp with the Scorpions. Forbes drew raves from manager Alen Marcina, but he elected to complete his degree. He didn’t have to think twice when the Scorpions came calling again after his schooling was finished.

“I was like, ‘Hell yes I’ll come back,’” Forbes said.

The challenge now, Marcina said, is to avoid putting too much pressure on Forbes after his sparkling debut.

“He’s a fantastic player,” he said. “At the same time…he’s a rookie, and we want to bring him along right.”

Doing so could be difficult. Even the Trinidadian James, hailing his fellow islander’s speed and “Caribbean swag,” can hardly wait to see how Forbes will develop.

“I’m really excited to see what he can bring to the team,” James said. “This is just his first game, and it’s going to be interesting to see what he does when other teams know about him. But I’m pretty sure he’s going to come back with very good answers.”

Forbes said he’ll be content as long as those answers involve victory.

“I really like it here,” he said. “I think it’s a great situation. I want to score some goals, but…as long as we’re winning, that’s all that matters.”

]]>http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/05/rookie-with-caribbean-swag-stars-in-scorpions-debut/feed/0Forbes, Barrera named to Team of the Weekhttp://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/05/forbes-barrera-named-to-team-of-the-week/
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/05/forbes-barrera-named-to-team-of-the-week/#respondWed, 14 May 2014 20:25:10 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/?p=291Rookie Billy Forbes and midfield general Danny Barrera were named to the NASL’s Team of the Week for week five following their performances in the Scorpions’ 3-0 victory over Carolina last Saturday.

Forbes registered a pair of assists after coming on as a second-half substitute. One came on a goal by Barrera, who was also a consistent playmaking presence throughout the match.

]]>http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/05/forbes-barrera-named-to-team-of-the-week/feed/0Scorpions guaranteed home match in U.S. Openhttp://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/05/scorpions-guaranteed-home-match-in-u-s-open/
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/05/scorpions-guaranteed-home-match-in-u-s-open/#respondFri, 09 May 2014 23:41:45 +0000http://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/?p=289The Scorpions will face the winner between the Austin Aztex and the North Texas Rayados on May 28 at Toyota Field in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Austin and North Texas play on May 14 at Austin’s House Park to determine which side advances.

The Scorpions are 2-2 all-time in the Open Cup, including a 1-0 victory over Houston of Major League Soccer in their inaugural 2012 season.